Alexander Zverev reached the last 16 of the French Open with a 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Frenchman Quentin Halys in a match that finished well past midnight.
Zverev was dominant early on, breaking Halys in his opening service game in each of the first two sets. However, he lost his way in the third, with the home crowd roaring Halys on as the clock ticked past midnight and the world number 90 forced a fourth set.
The German responded well, racing into a 3-0 lead before wrapping up the match in just over three hours.
“I knew I just had to stay with my game and I am going to get my chances,” said Zverev after the win. “I am very happy I could finish it at 1am, not 3am.”
The victory comes at a remarkable time for the tournament. Zverev, seeded second after Carlos Alcaraz pulled out, became the top remaining seed following Jannik Sinner’s shock exit the previous evening. Earlier on the same day, 19 year old Brazilian Joao Fonseca had knocked out Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Zverev will next face 106th ranked Dutchman Jesper de Jong in the last 16.
